


Memorial Day

by debwalsh



Series: Take Up Your Shield and Follow Me [14]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: #buckyandsteve, Canon Het Relationship, Captain America: The Winter Soldier Compliant, Established Relationship, F/M, Gen, Howling Commandos - Freeform, Kissing, M/M, Memorial Day, Other, Remembrance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-26
Updated: 2014-05-26
Packaged: 2018-01-26 14:17:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1691288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/debwalsh/pseuds/debwalsh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A year after the fall of the Triskelion and the recovery of the Winter Soldier, Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes join with Peggy Carter to honor the memory of the Howling Commandos.  The media gets wind, and Tony Stark and Phil Coulson see the event as an opportunity to do some damage control as well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Memorial Day

"Here, let me see that,” Bucky said, tapping under Steve’s chin with his index finger to tilt Steve’s face back. “All the times you’ve been on display, you’da thought you’d learn to tie your own tie by now.”

“I do just fine,” Steven complained, as Bucky worked intently on getting the knot just right. The way he stood a hair’s breadth away from Steve, his lower lip caught crookedly in his teeth, a crinkle of concentration between his eyebrows, and a little shock of hair that tumbled down onto his forehead … Steve sighed inwardly and smiled. Yeah, he was doing just fine.

Buck looked up and saw the self-satisfied smile on Steve’s face and smiled back. A real smile, like sunlight on water, answered him. Steve’s smile slid into a shit-eating grin, and Bucky’s followed suit. On impulse, Steve planted a quick kiss on Bucky’s nose, and Bucky leaned in for something more substantial, but Steve held up his hands and shooed him away.

“No time for hanky panky today.”

“Always time for hanky panky,” Bucky breathed, circling Steve and launching an assault from another flank. Tactically sound as he slid in behind Steve’s defenses and nuzzled his neck, uniformed body molding to Steve’s effortlessly as his arms circled Steve’s torso.

Steve chuckled, allowed himself a moment to enjoy the latest skirmish, then twisted away with an apologetic groan. “Not today.”

Bucky was left panting to the air, eyes dark with unfulfilled lust as Steve sidestepped his outflung arm to smooth down his uniform front and consider his reflection in the full length mirror. “Not bad for 96 years old, hmm?”

Bucky hadn’t surrendered yet, and settled against Steve’s back, arms sliding up his chest as he rested his chin on Steve’s broad shoulders. “Not bad for any age,” Bucky agreed, breath stirring the carefully barbered hairs along Steve’s collar line. His right arm crossed Steve’s chest and held his left shoulder, pinning Steve against him as if to blur the line between one body and the other. His teeth captured Steve’s earlobe, tongue flicking out to taste, then his lips pressed against Steve’s neck, soft and slick with desire. “I love a man in uniform,” Bucky muttered against Steve’s ear. “I love this man out of uniform,” he added, his left hand sliding inexorably toward the quickening bulge in Steve’s uniform trousers.

Steve allowed himself one whole minute of pleasure in Bucky’s arms, arching his head back to press his cheek against Bucky’s hair while his best friend, his best guy worked magic along the taut muscle of his throat. Regretfully, he still had his eye on the mission objective. He caught Bucky’s left hand and laced his fingers with Bucky’s, and squeezed hard to get his attention. 

“Not today.” Still holding onto Bucky’s hand, he spun in Bucky’s embrace and planted a quick, promise-laden kiss on Bucky’s lips, and stepped back, leaving Buck with his lips pursed for more, eyes closed. “C’mon, Sergeant Barnes, pull yourself together. We got a big day ahead of us.”

Opening his eyes, Bucky shot Steve a pained look. “Kiss me like that and leave me hanging? You’re a hard man, Captain Rogers.” Glancing down at his own tented uniform trousers, Bucky grinned and added, “I’m a hard man. ‘S’not fair, you know,” he warned, but Steve gave him the Look, and he just grinned a lopsided grin and shrugged. Bucky smoothed his hair back, and took a moment to tug his uniform back into proper conformation. “Where’d they dig up this old rig, anyway?”

“Smithsonian, where else? Your effects were returned home after … after the fall. Everything the Army had ended up at the Smithsonian, yours and mine. Except this.” Steve thrust out a small white box toward Bucky, who accepted it with a wary grin.

“What’s this? Friendship bracelet? Engagement ring?” he mocked as he shook the box experimentally, hearing something rattle and hiss inside. “What the -?” he added as he opened the box. His eyes widened as he lifted a set of dog tags on a long silver chain from the box.

“I know yours are long gone. Maybe you don’t care about ‘em, but I thought … I thought it’d be nice to have ‘em back.”

“How – no, it’s great, but how?”

“Got a few people in the Army who still owe me a favor or two.”

“Or 96,” Bucky chuckled, lifting the chain over his head and dropping it down. Steve stepped over to loosen Bucky’s tie and collar so Bucky could drop the tags down his shirt. “Y’could just keep goin’, you know,” he prompted, his grin salacious and hungry. 

Steve’s fingers deftly snapped the top button back in place, and he pulled the tie back into position with a snap, enough to half choke Bucky. “Straighten up, soldier,” Steve commanded him, snagging his service cap and settling it into place. All khaki and brown, Steve looked like a chocolate soufflé that had come out of the oven perfect and ready to eat. “I’d kiss you again, but I know you can’t be trusted,” Steve added with a wistful smile and a shake of his head. He snapped into a salute, and Bucky had no choice but to mirror it, military training taking over. 

“Sir,” Bucky responded sharply, chin lifted, eyes facing forward, right hand positioned over his brow. Then he looked directly into Steve Rogers’ eyes and smirked that insolent smirk that had led to so many fights back in Brooklyn. “Damn straight,” he drawled as Steve buttoned Bucky’s uniform jacket and jerked his head toward the door.

“Forward march, soldier.”

***

Sam met them in the hotel lobby, eying the pair suspiciously. In the past year since the fall of SHIELD and the rise of Hydra, the whole team had invested a lot of energy and commitment to the rehabilitation of James Buchanan Barnes. And consequently, to Steven Grant Rogers. When the journey’d begun, none of them had realized just how broken Steve had been, not until he’d finally started to heal. The breaks had started long before Erskine’s serum, and they’d just kept piling up. Bucky could trace his pain back just as far if not farther. Their time had not been kind to them, but somehow, in the present, they’d been given a second chance like no other. Together, Steve and Bucky had helped put the other back together, and as they did that, they’d found each to be their missing piece.

So, everyone at Stark Tower was used to PDA between Captain America and the Winter Soldier. Between Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes. But this was Bucky’s first foray into the public eye since the fall of SHIELD, his first actual planned appearance, and the first time the public would see Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes in the flesh. Sam was reminded of a colt taking its first run around the paddock – all legs and bravado, and he wondered how nervous Bucky really was deep down inside.

As for Cap, well, he was pretty used to being trotted out in front of the press, but at least this time, it was on his own terms and at his own request.

Sam smoothed the front of his uniform jacket down, marginally shifted his cover, and stood at attention. “Captain, sir, Sergeant? Ready?”

The effect was immediate. Steve quirked a serene smile and nodded, shoulders squared and chin held high. Bucky came to parade rest, his stance alert but calm. Yeah, Sam got it. Sometimes having tradition as your guide helped get you through a lot of awkward situations. He smiled and nodded approval. They had this.

***

Sharon combed Peggy’s hair with soft, gentle strokes, and Peggy simply rolled her eyes. “Sharon, dear, I’m old, but I’m not going to break. Give me the brush,” Peggy instructed her granddaughter.

Sharon smiled warmly and did as she was told, watching her grandmother’s reflection fondly in the mirror of her rest home bedroom. Smiles came so much easier now that Grandma had come back to her. Not forever, but for a little more time, and she was grateful.

She was one of only a few people who knew the secret, who knew that Peggy had been recipient of a special serum that Bruce Banner had derived from the research he’d done with Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes. Not a super-soldier serum, but one that had helped Grandma’s neural pathways regenerate, bringing back her sharp mind and giving her final days meaning. Grandma was still in her late 90s, and she wouldn’t live forever, but at least the days before her were days she could enjoy and remember.

Like today. 

Grandma was peering thoughtfully at the cosmetics and hair products on the dresser tray, her thin fingers tracing an invisible pattern in the air as she considered what was on offer. Finally, she took a tube of hair gel in hand, squeezed out a quarter sized dollop, rubbed her hands together, and smoothed it through her hair. A few more twists and tweaks, and she seemed satisfied.

Grandma had recreated the hairstyle she’d worn back in the ‘40s when she’d first known Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes. It went perfectly with her old British Army uniform, which had taken only a tuck here and a small letting out there to mold the uniform to her aged body. Sharon hoped she aged half as gracefully.

Grandma turned her face one way and then the other, frowned at the lines that dragged down her face, then shrugged, fluffing at her hair. “Well, I’ve earned every last one of them, I suppose,” she said to herself, and Sharon had to smile even wider.

Finally, Grandma picked up her service cap and positioned in on her head, adjusting it carefully until she nodded approval to herself.

“Now tell me, how do I look?” Grandma asked, spinning around in her wheelchair. She looked spectacular, and Sharon opened her mouth to tell her that when she heard a voice interrupt them.

“Like my best girl is ready to go dancing,” Steve Rogers announced affectionately from the doorway. 

“And she’s gonna have to share,” Sergeant Barnes added, popping up behind the Captain and resting his face on Steve’s shoulder. Sharon had to stifle a giggle – the pair of them looked so ridiculously happy, she was reminded of Muppets. Kermit and Fozzie to be exact, with Barnes being the open-mouthed bear – he could be the master of the goofy expression when he wanted to be.

“Best girl and best guy – I’m the lucky one,” Steve said warmly. “Ready, Peg?”

“Of course, Captain Rogers,” Grandma answered, inclining her head regally, but Sharon could see the devilish glint in her eyes. Sharon sent up a silent prayer thanking whoever for letting Dr. Banner discover that serum and share it with Grandma. In a world that had gone mad the past year, this was a comfort she’d not realized she needed, and she was grateful for it.

Steve stepped smartly into the room, snapped a salute that Grandma returned with a chuckle, and then he bent down to kiss her, soft and full on the lips. Grandma’s hand rose up to stroke his cheek, and Sharon could just hear the shared sigh of pleasure underscoring the kiss. She glanced over at Sergeant Barnes and was taken aback by the jealous frown that darkened his attractive features. He was literally pouting as he watched Captain Rogers kiss her grandmother thoroughly.

Grandma was breathless when they parted, and Sharon was a little turned on to see that Rogers was too. He looked at her grandmother with such fondness she thought her heart would break. But Grandma was the first to break the spell.

“Get that green-eyed look off your face, James. You know I only get to borrow him. Steve will always come home to you.” Barnes’s face softened into an affectionate smile, with a hint of triumph because he clearly knew it to be true.

Steve grinned at her, taking her wizened hand in his, reaching back for Sergeant Barnes, and kissed the knuckles of each in turn. “Beg, borrow or steal, I’m the luckiest guy on earth.”

“So, we goin’ or not?” Barnes asked, hooking a thumb over his shoulder.

Steve nodded, and took the handles of Grandma’s wheelchair to push her out to where the cars were waiting.

***

Arlington Cemetery belongs to the nation, and anyone can conduct a memorial ceremony within its boundaries, by request and with due notice. According to its web site, Arlington requires at least five weeks to process requests. However, when Tony Stark and Captain America are the ones asking, the timeline can be reduced to mere days. Hours even, if they really wanted to be assholes. But that wasn’t the point of the exercise. So, watchword of the day: cooperation.

Tony stood with Pepper Potts at the verge of the road near where the cars pulled up quietly and parked. Rogers was already out, opening the door for Peggy Carter; he draped her arm over his shoulder and lifted her out of the car while Sam Wilson pulled the folding wheelchair out of the trunk, snapped it open, and positioned it for Cap. Even at this distance, Tony could see the affection between the old lady and the Capsicle. He’d never admit it to anyone, but the sight tugged at what he loosely referred to as his heart, and his fingers sought and found Pepper’s, giving them a little squeeze. Not for the first time that week, he counted himself lucky – the woman he loved was with him in the here and now, not a distant promise and a future lost to time.

“I don’t care what you think, that’s the sweetest and most heartbreaking thing I’ve ever seen,” Pepper whispered in his ear, circling his arm with her hand and pressing close. “What do you think we’ll be like when we’re their age?”

“Hot, sexy, brilliant? Why should anything ever change, huh?” he asked with a grin and leaned back to kiss her on the cheek.

“Mmmm-hmmm,” she agreed doubtfully, but he could see the pleased flush in her face. He grinned behind his sunglasses and settled in to watch the show.

The mere mention of Captain America making a public appearance after nearly a year out of the public eye had been enough for journalists all over the DC Metro area to practically come in their pants. The national media had gone insane, too. Add to it today was Memorial Day, even PBS was on the hunt. And when they factored in the long lost Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes, and Margaret Carter, one of the founders of the original SHIELD, the fifth estate was so far gone it was purely pornographic.

Rhodey told him the dude in charge of the Public Affairs Office had nearly had an aneurism fielding all the press requests to attend today’s memorial. It had been Rhodey’s idea to collect the media in the Amphitheatre, and allow one unit chosen by lottery to follow Rogers, broadcasting the signal to everyone else to piggyback to their respective outlets. It was genius.

“Good call,” Tony said in an aside to his friend, Colonel James Rhodes. He’d been Rhodey to Tony since their college days, and far too often the conscience Tony hadn’t recognized he needed.

“I hope you realize just how moving this is, Tony. It’s not just a publicity opportunity.”

“Maybe not, but it’s still an opportunity.”

If ever there was a reason to grin like a wild man, Tony figured that would do. Pity they hadn’t convinced Thor to take part in the festivities – a Norse god would have put a special fillip of crazy on the day, but he’d opted to stay home and learn how to barbeque instead so he could host the hoards to a celebratory feast on their return. Thor understood the gravity of eulogizing the fallen warriors, the glorious dead, but on Asgard, they used it as an excuse to party. Tony was glad that Jarvis was in charge of fire suppression, because he had a feeling that the big Asgardian was more likely to burn down the tower than deliver a perfectly seared steak. He didn’t tell the big guy he had a caterer on speed dial just in case.

Barton was here, somewhere perched in one of the carefully tended trees that shaded the graves that seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see. No matter what they did, they could never keep Clint on the ground for very long – if there was a higher ground, he’d inevitably gravitate to it. 

Romanov was out in the open, dressed in her corporate best, black of course, and she’d taken command of the wreaths. How very practical and Russian of her. Her eyes roved cautiously, and the coil of threat just a breath away never left her. But the look on her face when it lit on Barnes, though, that was priceless. Tony would swear it was pride as a smile tickled the corners of her mouth.

Coulson was waiting at the tomb, Hill alongside. Like Tony said, it was still an opportunity. And truth be told, when Phil’d found out about the plan, he’d made it quite clear there was no way they were doing this without him. The fact that including the new Director of SHIELD in the day’s commemoration was all kinds of perfect was just a bonus.

Tony wasn’t given to flights of melancholy, at least not normally, but there was something grand and austere and pure about Arlington Cemetery. Not just the rank after rank of gravestones, the hush the place commanded. There was more here, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

“Behave yourself,” Pepper whispered softly in his ear and he smiled.

“Always,” he promised. 

The unit selected in the lottery was from one of the cable networks, and they were set-up and ready to go as the small group left the cars and made their way over to where Tony stood with Pepper, Rhodey and Romanov. Happy was nearby, at the ready as always. Tony smiled inwardly – Happy was like a little kid when he’d been invited to come along. Tony wondered if Happy had a set of Captain America trading cards, too, or if that was something Tony should think about giving him for Christmas.

“Ah.”

Rogers, Barnes, Wilson and the Carters had finally made their way over to where Tony stood with the team. Natasha was the first to break ranks, stepping forward with the stack of wreaths. Barnes slid an arm about her waist and planted a kiss on the top of her head. The quick flash of a smile was the only thing that gave away her pleasure at the familial contact. Although Tony would swear he saw Natasha deliver an answering squeeze – he’d never call it a hug, since Nat could take him out in more way than he’d earned money. Winter Soldier and Black Widow indeed. It was sweet in its own weird way.

Rogers was standing before him, hand outstretched. “Thanks for this, Tony.”

“Thank you for your service, Cap,” Tony replied, and Steve looked at him like he couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. “Seriously, thanks. Rhodey’s got the press corralled in the Amphitheatre, you’ve got one crew that’ll be shadowing you at the graves. Anything else you need?”

Cap actually glanced toward Barnes, his expression blissful, and shook his head. “Got everything I need, thanks.” Guy was such a sap over his boyfriend, it wasn’t funny. Oh wait, it was. But it was also kind of sweet, seeing two people who’d been through so much finally get their happily ever after. Tony felt Pepper’s cheek settle against his shoulder with a sigh, and he grinned even more widely. Yeah, it was nice when two people who’d been through hell and back got their happily ever after, especially when those people were him and Pep. He wasn’t about to deny Cap a little sappiness, although he’d make no promises that he wouldn’t tease him about it.

“Ready to rock ‘n’ roll?” Tony asked Cap, and Cap nodded.

***

They laid a wreath on the graves of each of the Howling Commandos, pausing to reflect on the life of the man they’d known, the contribution he’d made, and the things they remembered most. Each time, Steve started by telling story about the soldier, usually a funny one full of warmth and fondness, then Barnes laid the wreath and muttered a few words, and Peggy finished up by commenting on their careers in the early days of SHIELD. Sharon Carter streamed the whole thing with her iPhone, sharing with the other legacies scattered across the globe. Of course, they didn’t tell the newshounds that – they’d be champing to know who the legacies were and where, and that was something Tony and the team didn’t want to share. The legacies were too useful in dismantling Hydra and rebuilding SHIELD around the world, and their anonymity added to their value.

The news team lapped up the pomp and gravitas with a spoon. But within an hour, the video of Rogers telling a blue-tinged story about Dum Dum Dugan and his practical jokes had gone viral, and by the next day, Dum Dum memes had taken over Facebook. You never knew what was going to take hold in the public’s imagination.

But it couldn’t have gone better if Tony had hired a Hollywood studio to choreograph the entire afternoon, and yet the whole thing was off the cuff and heartfelt. That squeaky clean earnestness of Rogers’ was just so damned endearing. Tony was so pleased he was practically strutting when they got to the last stop. By this time, the assembled press had been released from the Amphitheatre, and circled the tomb like a human wall.

A podium had been set up on the marble slabs in front of the memorial. Shutters spasmed and died capturing Cap’s face as he paused to look at the name carved in the center structure of the memorial (his own). They went even more nuts when he ran his fingers along the name carved into the plinth to the right (Barnes). By the time he glanced meaningfully at Barnes, they were completely spent. They didn’t have even a little energy to get it up when Cap crossed over to Phil Coulson and pulled him into a hug, leaving the Director of SHIELD looking dazed and oddly sated.

Then Tony, Pepper, Barnes and the rest joined Coulson and Hill in the chairs set-up to the side of the Captain America memorial, while the press stood, enrapt. Peggy Carter sat smiling in her wheelchair, her granddaughter at her side. The two women held hands, as Peggy lifted her face, eyes closed, waiting to hear Rogers speak. 

Barton was still somewhere elevated, which meant they also had a lookout to forewarn them in case anything really weird or potentially annoying happened. 

Cameras, mikes, phones, and all manner of electronic equipment hung poised, waiting for Captain America to speak. Steve tapped the microphone and heard the sound reverberate off the marble surround, grinned a little sheepishly toward the cameras. Tony could swear he heard the pop! of a million ovaries bursting in response to that mega-watt smile. More than a few prostates went boom, too, he was sure. The all-American boy cleared his throat, nodded toward the people in attendance, and smiled reflectively for a moment before starting.

“Thank you, for joining us today to honor our fallen comrades in arms. It’s still hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that they’ve all been gone for so long – for me, I just left them a few years ago, in their prime. Fighting for what they, we, believed in. Looking forward to coming home, to their best girls, their families, their friends, their neighborhoods, their country. I won’t say they fought without complaint, but they fought without question, because they knew what they, what we,” he gestured taking in himself and Barnes, “fought for was worth whatever the cost.” 

He paused, and looked around him. Tony did a quick scan of the crowd and confirmed Cap had ‘em in the palm of his ever-loving hand. He guessed it was a good thing Steve had no aspirations to elected office, but he kind of was disappointed at what a hoot it would be to get Rogers elected president. Problem was, he’d take it too seriously, and the guy already carried the fate of the world on his shoulders. Would be way too much if he actually did.

“The America I knew, the America that I fought for, the America that I _died_ for, that Bucky died for,” he added, glancing toward Barnes with an expression both intense and tender, “was an America that believed in freedom above all else. Freedom, not fear. Freedom, not security at the cost of freedom. The America that our friends died for, and every man and woman buried here died for, is better than this. _We_ are better than this.” He paused for a moment to look, really look at the faces of each person listening to him speak. They watched him without blinking, without turning away. Even Tony had to admit that Cap could be a heck of a public speaker when the spirit moved him. And it moved him today.

“We cannot let fear dictate our future. We cannot compromise our freedoms for the illusion of security. When we give away our freedoms in exchange for what we think is security, we dishonor their memory and cheapen their sacrifice,” he said clearly, his voice ringing out with the clarity of carillon. “And we are no safer when we hand over our freedoms willingly. We let ourselves down, and we endanger our future.”

“Our best hope as a nation is to work together. It’s what America was founded on – community and cooperation. We need to learn from our collective past, safeguard our mutual present, and secure our shared future. That’s what the Howling Commandos did. That’s what every military unit represented here did. We weren’t a perfect fit and we didn’t always get along. I put a stop to more than one fistfight in the time we fought together,” he added, earning a low current of laughter. “But we learned by pooling our talents, learning to work together, we truly did become more than the sum of our parts. Coming together as a unit, we stood a better chance of surviving, of pulling through, of winning, of making it home.”

Steve looked over to Bucky at that moment, and Stark turned to follow his gaze. Barnes was sitting there, hands clasped in his lap, lips pressed together and chin thrust forward. His expression was intensely focused on Rogers, and Tony would swear there were tears in the big lug’s eyes.

Steve held Barnes eyes for a moment that stretched until Tony he could hear people begin to shift uncomfortably, and he wondered what Cap was up to. Taking a deep breath, Steve extended his hand toward Barnes, who lurched clumsily to his feet to clasp Rogers’ hand and embrace him. Never breaking eye contact, Steve twined his fingers with Barnes’s, held the joined hands to his heart and turned back to the audience. He paused to lift Barnes’s hand to his lips, and kissed his knuckles tenderly.

Yeah, there it was. The susurration of commentary under their breaths, the rise of speculation reaching fever pitch. The journalists were losing their collective minds. Damn, when Rogers goes all in, he goes all in. Tony thought for a wild moment he never wanted to play poker against this guy – he was a goddamned force of nature, not a man.

“I remember what I fought for, what I died for, what I lost _everything_ for,” he added with passion, turning a face suddenly twisted in anguish toward Barnes. Barnes reached out his other hand and touched it to Cap’s face, laid his forehead against Rogers’s. Good God, it was operatic! Who knew Cap had such a flare for the dramatic? No wonder he’d been such a popular act on the circuit back in the day. But there was nothing rehearsed or artificial in this performance. Steve’s free hand reached up to rest on the back of Barnes’s neck for just a second, and then he let go reluctantly, turning resolutely back to the cameras, the press.

“I remember what America meant to me, to my generation. I remember that freedom isn’t just a word, it’s something worth dying for to protect. Every day, people around the world are still fighting for freedom. Every day in America, people are still fighting for freedom, freedom that’s too precious to toss aside to feel just a little more secure. We can’t let fear rob us of our greatest gift, our greatest achievement. I remember what America stands for, why these men and women gave their lives in service to that ideal.” 

He paused, levelling all in the sweep of his gaze with a challenge, a dare. “I remember,” he added quietly. “Do you?” Then he capped it all off by kissing Barnes full on the mouth, on national television, broadcast and cable. And probably a few internet channels to boot. And from where Tony was sitting, he had no doubt there was tongue.

Tony smacked his knee and shouted, “Hah!” but Pepper shushed him sharply. Then grinned just as broadly as Tony was. 

Nearby, Phil Coulson just said, “Huh,” in that matter-of-fact way of his.

“Bojemoi,” Natasha said under her breath.

Tony glanced at Peggy Carter and was frankly surprised at what he saw in her face. Not just acceptance, but joy. The old lady actually looked proud of Rogers and Barnes up on the podium, making out for all of America and the world.

At the podium, Geriatric Ken and his boyfriend broke off their face-sucking session to stare breathlessly at each other. Rogers recovered first and leaned back toward the microphone and simply said, “Thank you.” Then he grabbed Barnes by the hand, paused to drop a kiss on Peggy Carter’s forehead, and led him past their seated friends and around to the back of the memorial. Tony glanced over his shoulder to Romanov, who nodded curtly and took off after them. The last thing anyone needed was a super-soldier make-out session in the national cemetery. Hell, he could spin it if he had to, but why risk it?

In the meantime, the press had popped an artery, questions erupted out of the crowd, and he couldn’t wait to see how they spun _this_.

***

“I got eyes,” Barton reported to Romanov as she made her way around the memorial. “Oh, man, Nat, you’re never going to believe this!”

“Talk to me, Barton – are they in trouble?”

“No, but _you_ might be,” he chuckled into her headset, and she swore a little saltier as she rounded the monument.

***

Steve held up a finger while he patted down his uniform jacket with the other hand. He still held Buck’s hand in his, and the way he was holding on, he was pretty sure he’d made it clear he was never letting go. He grinned suddenly, and pulled something out of a pocket and held it out to Bucky. 

Bucky looked down at the box in Rogers’s hand as though it was going to bite. “What is that?” he asked doubtfully.

Rogers cracked open the box, and said simply, “That is an engagement ring. As in, will you marry me, James Buchanan Barnes?” Steve dropped on one knee, holding up the ring.

Bucky stared at him for a long moment, then snickered. “Well, I’m sure there have been weirder places for a proposal, but what the hell?”

“Is that a yes?”

“Do you really need an answer, punk?”

“I’ll take that as a yes, jerk,” Steve breathed, sliding the ring onto Bucky’s finger, then folding him into his arms and into a kiss.

***

Natasha Romanov witnessed the engagement and flattened herself against the smooth marble of the monument. Engaged. Cap and Bucky were _engaged_. She grinned wildly, and practically ran to tell the others.

“About damned time,” Pepper responded gleefully. “Oh, Tony, the place in Malibu – it would be perfect for a wedding. That view at sunset –“

“Getting ideas?”

“Absolutely, I’d love to plan their wedding. Oh,” she said, looking at him. “You meant,” she waggled her finger between herself and Tony. “Oh, yeah, right,” Pepper protested with a nervous chuckle, then shyly glanced at Tony. “Why, are you?”

He shrugged. “Could be. Could be that breakfast burrito. Too soon to tell.” He took her hand in his, kissed it, and grinned at her.

Just then, his phone pinged with Jarvis’s ring tone. “Talk to me Jarvis!”

“Sir, I wanted to report that the fire department has given the all-clear, and it is safe to return to the tower at your convenience.”

“So, I take it Thor did not get the hang of propane, am I right?”

“Regretfully, sir, Master Thor managed to ignite the propane, but miscalculated the necessary fuel required for the task. The EMTs say his eyebrows will grow back, however.”

Yep, gonna need that caterer after all. Tony wondered if they could turn the Memorial Day barbeque into an engagement party with, well, no notice? They were going to find out. Plus, bonus, Thor had no eyebrows.

**Author's Note:**

> This is actually part of a larger work, "Take Up Your Shield and Follow Me," which is very much a work in progress right now. But since this is Memorial Day, and I have so enjoyed reading the Steve and Bucky works of others here on AO3, it made sense to share.
> 
> My first AO3 submission, and my first work within this universe. Been writing fan fiction since the '70s, and published a number of zines over the years, so not new to writing, but new to this fandom and loving every minute of it. 
> 
> Since this part of a larger story, it hasn't been reviewed/betaed first, since the overall tale is still very much a living, changing organism. I plan to post a few more sections of the larger story to see how they fly, and I'll eventually post the entire work once it's complete and fully edited.
> 
> I really would appreciate constructive criticism!


End file.
